Electrochemical separation and recovery of metals

a technology of electrochemical separation and metal recovery, applied in the field of electrochemical separation and recovery of metals, can solve the problems of low recycling rate, bottleneck effect, and inability to support the primary supply of these metals

Active Publication Date: 2021-08-31
YALE UNIV
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The apparatus effectively recovers metals as oxides with high purity, enabling efficient separation and reuse, thereby addressing supply chain imbalances and reducing emissions by enhancing recycling rates and reducing mining and refining needs.

Problems solved by technology

However, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and European Commission have labeled some RESE critical (i.e., some combination of factors create an imbalance wherein there is a large demand and insufficient supply) (U.S. Dept. of Energy, Critical Materials Strategy, 2011).
Increasing reliance on RESE in developing technologies has caused a bottleneck effect, where the primary supply of these metals can no longer support demand (Kingsnorth, D. J. In Rare earths: facing new challenges in the new decade, 2010).
These low recycling rates result from many interrelated factors including consumer behavior, government policy, and lack of infrastructure.
In addition, there are few recycling technologies sufficiently advanced to reclaim the critical materials or separate the metals from one another for reuse.
2015), but suffers high space requirements due to the large surface area of smooth cathodic material needed.
This limitation makes the recycling method impractical for the low concentrations of RESE metals found in many waste streams and smaller processes important for clean energy and nanotechnologies, including advanced metal-deposition techniques such as e-beam sputtering, lithography, and printing in semiconductors (O'Connor, et al.

Method used

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  • Electrochemical separation and recovery of metals
  • Electrochemical separation and recovery of metals
  • Electrochemical separation and recovery of metals

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

experimental examples

[0106]The invention is further described in detail by reference to the following experimental examples. These examples are provided for purposes of illustration only, and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified. Thus, the invention should in no way be construed as being limited to the following examples, but rather, should be construed to encompass any and all variations which become evident as a result of the teaching provided herein.

[0107]Without further description, it is believed that one of ordinary skill in the art can, using the preceding description and the following illustrative examples, make and utilize the compositions of the present invention and practice the claimed methods. The following working examples therefore, specifically point out the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting in any way the remainder of the disclosure.

example 1

Optimization

[0108]The materials and methods employed in these experiments are now described.

[0109]Materials & Methods

[0110]Copper chloride (CuC12; 99.999% trace metals basis (TMB)), europium chloride (EuCl3; 99.99% TMB), scandium chloride (ScCl3; 99.99% TMB), neodymium chloride (NdCl3; ≥99.99% TMB), gallium chloride (GaCl3; ≥99.99% TMB), arsenic chloride (AsCl3; 99.99% TMB), sodium hydroxide (NaOH; 99.99% TMB), hydrochloric acid (HCl; TraceSELECT®), and sodium chloride (NaCl; ≥99%) were all purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, Mo.). Multi-walled carbon nanotube buckypaper filters encapsulated in polyvinyl alcohol were custom-made by NanoTech Labs (Yadkinville, N.C.). Hydrophilic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE; 5 μm pore size) membranes and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4; GR ACS grade) were purchased from EMD Millipore (Darmstadt, Germany).

[0111]All solutions for the electrochemical experiments were prepared in acid washed glassware (washed for at least one week in 25% v / v HCl followed by...

example 2

Recovery from a Mixed Stream

[0135]The materials and methods employed in these experiments are now described.

[0136]Materials & Methods

[0137]After assessing the behavior of single-metal solutions, a two-chamber filtration apparatus was assembled to determine whether or not multiple metals could be purified and separated using this technology (FIG. 5). Cu and Eu were prepared together and the mixed influent solution was pumped into the system containing two filtration chambers in series. The upstream filtration chamber had an applied voltage of 1.5V to select for Cu and the downstream chamber had an applied voltage of 3.0V to select for Eu. The flow rate was held constant at 1 mL min−1 and pH was not adjusted (measured pH: 5.4). In this study, effluent was collected and quantified from both filtration chambers to calculate recovery.

[0138]The results of the experiment are now described.

[0139]The prior optimization exercise using pure, single-metal solutions informed the possibility of h...

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Abstract

The invention provides a novel filtration apparatus for the selective separation of metals from a mixture thereof. The invention also provides a method for the separation and isolation of metals from a sample using electrochemical precipitation.

Description

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0001]This invention was made with government support under Grant No. RD-83558001, awarded by the EPA, and DE-FE0026952, awarded by the Department of Energy. The government has certain rights in the invention.CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0002]This application is a non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62 / 480,930, filed Apr. 3, 2017, and 62 / 636,719, filed Feb. 28, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Limiting the reliance on greenhouse gas producing energy sources will rely on clean energy technologies (e.g., permanent magnets, batteries, and catalysts for the wind, solar, and automotive industries), which require rare earth and specialty elements (RESE) (O'Connor, et al. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2016, 4, (11), 5879-5888). However, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and European Commission have labeled ...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & AuthorityPatents(United States)
IPC IPC(8): B03B5/00C02F1/44C02F1/463B01J20/28B01J20/20B82Y30/00C02F101/20C01B32/172C02F1/28
CPCB03B5/00B01J20/205B01J20/28026C01B32/172C02F1/283C02F1/44C02F1/463B82Y30/00C02F2101/20C02F2305/08Y02W10/37
InventorO'CONNOR, MEGANPLATA, DESIREE
OwnerYALE UNIV